GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT – Sheila Lyons of Wellfleet addresses her supporters at Messina in Eastham, thanking them for their hard work during the campaign.

While Messina restaurant’s own operatic waitress Karen Gardner entertained a crowd of travelers from Pennsylvania on one side of the Eastham eatery, Democratic state senate candidate Sheila Lyons mingled with family, friends and supporters on the other, waiting for the primary numbers to roll in.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. it became apparent that, although Lyons had fought a strong fight, the numbers favored her opponent Dan Wolf. Quietly, with campaign manager Alex Morash at her side, Lyons called Wolf to concede the race and offer congratulations.

A moment later Lyons expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the intimate crowd that included Paul Niedzwiecki, executive director of the Cape Cod Commission, and Dave Schropfer, former Eastham selectman.

“It has been an honor,” the county commissioner said of working with her supporters. “I just want to thank everybody in the room. You have all been there since the beginning.”

Lyons praised the group’s commitment to helping her offer voters a different perspective regarding issues such as water quality, and finding a way to fund the wastewater infrastructure she feels the Cape needs in order to preserve its scenic coastline.

“This has been a tough race,” Lyons said. “We have been up against, well, the big bad Wolf.”

In spite of the loss, Lyons was pleased that she was able to offer a challenge to Wolf, who hails from Harwich.

“I think we gave the voters a choice,” she said. “It was a campaign of heart and soul. In the end I think everybody’s better for it. I congratulate Dan and we’ll be there to back him.”